In recent weeks, Ubisoft has come under heavy criticism from the Japanese community for unauthorized asset use, among other things. Now the developers are speaking out about the accusations
The last few weeks have not been easy forAssassin’s Creed Shadows.The new offshoot of the assassin series still has almost four months to go until its release, but the game is currently facing a wave of criticism on the internet that is unparalleled.
Among other things, it was noticed that Ubisoft had illegally used the flag of a Japanese acting group in the promotional material for Shadows or had passed off a sword from the anime One Piece as a game character’s katana at a trade fair stand.
Some in the Japanese gaming community questioned whether their culture was being adequately represented in Ubisoft’s latest game.
Although Ubisoft emphasizes the importance it places on historical authenticity, the studio does not take Japanese history very seriously.The decision to choose a non-Japanese main character, Yasuke, as the protagonist, was also criticized in this context. As a result, even Japanese politicians are now taking issue with the game.
A game is not a history book
Now, for the first time, the development team has publicly commented on the allegationsand addressed the Japanese gaming community with a comprehensive statement on X, the former Twitter. In the post, the studio admits to having made mistakes in the promotional material for the game, for which they would like to apologize to the Japanese fans
In the discussion about historical authenticity, however, fans are asked not to confuse the game with a history book.After all, AC Shadows is first and foremost a video game that was created to entertain.
The Assassin’s Creed Shadows team has a message for our Japanese community. pic.twitter.com/AIyWNU9YhG
– Assassin’s Creed (@assassinscreed) July 23, 2024
Although historical advisors were consulted during development, some facts and events had to be reinterpreted within the scope of creative freedom. The statement reads:From its inception, Assassin’s Creed has always worked with creative freedom and used fantasy elements to create a gripping and immersive narrative.
The team also wanted to keep this leeway for the role of Yasuke:Although the team is aware that the question of whether he was a samurai or not is the subject of academic debate,his unique and mysterious life makes him an ideal candidate to tell an Assassin’s Creed story against the backdrop of feudal Japan.
With the Japanese Shinobi Naoe, players are also offered a second protagonist of equal value who opens up completely different gameplay paths.
What does that mean in a nutshell?Ubisoft does not want to be bullied by the criticism of Shadows. Instead of backing down, the studio counters and tells the critics: “We love you fans, but chill out, Assassin’s Creed was never historically accurate. After all, the series also features supernatural beings with magical artifacts.
What do you think of the debate surrounding the historical accuracy of Assassin’s Creed Shadows? Let us know in the comments!
